Female thieves nab cash from Paso Robles store

November 6, 2013

Four women teamed up to steal cash from a Paso Robles clothing store Tuesday afternoon.

Around 1:05 p.m. Tuesday, four adult Hispanic women approached the front doors of El Korita Western Wear in the 1400 block of Creston Road. Two of the women entered the store and two waited outside.

One of the two women inside the store distracted the clerk, while the other grabbed cash lying unsecured near the front counter.

The two women left the business, joined the two outside and all four fled in a vehicle. Witnesses last saw the vehicle, reported to be a full size, dark colored SUV, driving northbound on Creston Road.

Paso Robles police officers did not succeed in locating the vehicle. A California Highway Patrol helicopter assisted in the search, but did not locate the suspects’ vehicle.

The two suspects who entered the store are described as being between 50 and 60 years old. The two women waiting outside are described as being in their 20s.

Um, why was there “unsecured cash” lying near the front counter? I have worked retail, I have been “till-tapped” by being distracted by one person while another helps him or herself to the cash register drawer, but to leave cash lying around near the front counter does not sound like the smartest thing for a clerk or owner to do. If a customer approaches you for some sort of help, put the cash away, period. I am sorry that this store was robbed and I’ll wager that the person who left the cash out has learned a valuable lesson in cash handling, but this crime could not have happened if the cash had been put away.

My thoughts exactly… I would immediately suspect the employee in this case. Unless it is store policy to leave “unsecured cash” lying around. Many stores have a termination policy in place to fire the manager if there’s a robbery, just to avoid any possible conspiring.